Which of these terms do you most commonly use: disabled, person with a disability, or differently abled?
Which do you think is preferred by people with disabilities?
I first heard the term “differently abled” in a magazine article over a decade ago. My immediate reaction was, “what a clunky phrase!” But then I chastised myself for not keeping up with the times.
My introduction to the term “person with a disability” came during the AIDS pandemic. At the time, it was a very big deal not to say “AIDS victim” but instead “person with AIDS.”
The term “victim” has fallen into disfavor. The rest of us know to use the term “survivor” in reference to someone after a painful, critical incident.
But this is not necessarily the case with disabilities. Some people are born with them and some acquire them during their lifetime. What is the preferred term now?
The question of terminology came up for me this morning when my social media feed popped me into an online discussion group on Reddit:1
Is calling people with a disability ‘differently abled’ the correct term to use or is this just the non-minorities telling us what we should or shouldn’t be called?
I was intrigued. The responses to this question were provocative and wide-ranging. Here are the six lessons I gathered from what I read:
After reading responses to this question, it became apparent that the term “differently abled” is considered downright insulting in much of the disabled community. [Note: Respondents are identified by their chosen pseudonyms.]
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Such a stupid term. Like they are saying “no you’re not disabled, stop being so negative! You just have different abilities!” B*tch like what? The ability to make tiny little tumours in my brain and spine? The ability to wake up blind for no reason? Just say it like it is. I’m dis-abled. I have less ability that someone who doesn’t have my disease. It’s not an insult it’s just a fact. |
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hate "differently-abled". feels condescending and I've had people try to lecture me on why I'm not disabled. F*ck that. |
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As wheel chair user I hate that term! It's because able people think 'disabled' is a bad word. I'm not differently abled - my lack of abilities don't mean I can do certain things a different way, I can't do them at all. I'm Disabled. |
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The X-Men are differently-abled. I don't know about anyone else here, but I sure as hell didn't get any sweet superpowers when I became disabled. |
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As someone currently struggling with the limitations from my disability, I personally dislike the term 'differently-abled.' My abilities are limited, not different. I personally feel like 'differently-abled' puts too much pressure on me to push and prove myself and my abilities. Whereas 'disabled' highlights my limitations, and gives me the room I need to give myself grace and ask for accommodations on the things I can't do. |
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Thanks for all your responses everyone, I thought I was going crazy when people who aren’t disabled telling me what I should be calling myself. Like you all say, disabled isn’t a bad word it just is what it is |
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Although there are a few people in the community who might prefer the latter term, I've never met anyone who ever has liked "differently abled." It's not even accurate. To be differently abled in any real sense, you'd have to have other abilities that essentially cancel whatever disability you have. Think of, say, fictional heroes who would have an impairment but instead have other abilities that make their impairment null in that fictional world. That is differently abled. As you can see, actual disabled people don't really have that option. |
Some responders challenged why these new terms were popping up. They viewed it as performative allyship for people who are disabled. This writer sums up a lot of opinions.
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Disabled is a perfectly fine word. In fact, most of us would like abled people to stop stigmatizing and being afraid of it. We're trying to get to a place where it is a much more normalized word. Should have happened already, but people from without the community keep coming up with these cutesy nothing terms to dance around the real issues and make themselves feel comfortable and as though they've done something without doing something. Just say the word. The actual word. It's okay. I try as much as I can not to attribute any actual malice to it, but it can be tough to be so charitable at times. This is because for many people, the changing of the words is all that is needed for them. They've done their part in their minds. They don't realize that, like many communities facing marginalization, we need allies from the majority. From the people to whom society sometimes listens in great numbers. And we need them to be allies in more than just changing words that have useful definitions. |
Some with more serious disabilities said they need their disabilities to be called out, not minimized.
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And where the f was my different ability when I was at an appointment yesterday and because of a snowstorm I couldn’t leave as soon as I was done and hop* on a public transit to head home. |
While most of the respondents thought the term “disabled person” was “just fine,” one person made an impassioned plea for the term “person with disabilities.” They thought the former put too great an emphasis on what they could not do.
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My issue with “Disabled Person” (I’m a Bi-lateral Above Knee Amputee w/additional hidden disabilities) is that I’m more than my Disabilities, and even with my Disabilities, I’m still able to function with or without accommodations. To me, disabled means “non-functioning”, so Disabled Person identifies me as a person who does not function because of my obvious disability, and ignores all other aspects of who I am; Husband, step-father, business owner, martial artist, guitar player, advocate, etc. I’m a Person with Disabilities, not a Disabled Person. I belong to a culture of People with Disabilities and am part of the local and international Disability Communities. It’s not hard to identify without calling ourselves non-functional. We represent the largest, most diverse, and exponentially growing minority in the world. The reason they don’t discuss “identity” with other groups the way they discuss the identity of Disability, is because our group doesn’t come together as one people and state clearly “we’re not Handicapped (historical connotations to beggars), we’re not Disabled (we function), we’re People with Disabilities who cross every other demographic in the world, so get used to us…we’ve always been here, and we always will be.” I understand the concept of changing other people’s perception of us as a people, but defining oneself, or our community as a whole by the term “disabled” is just making that battle all the more challenging by choosing a word that literally means “non-functioning” and fighting against its very definition and use, which can be applied to other things. A lawnmower that doesn’t work can be described as “disabled”. It wouldn’t be accurate to describe a lawn mower as having a Disability. A child learns that the word disabled applies to things that are broken, and then is told that a person they know identifies as disabled…they automatically get the wrong impression of the person, or at the very least become confused. Teach a child about Disabilities, on the other hand, and when they meet someone who identifies as a Person with Disabilities, or as part of the Disability community, they understand that this is a person who faces regular challenges that they do not. |
The previous comment spoke to the power of people with disabilities as a community. In another inspiring sequence, Redditors discussed the value of the term “disability” as positioning themselves for advocacy and unity.2
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I prefer the term disabled because I have many chronic illness and pain disorders....but I look like a vibrant healthy woman. I feel like it's just a small thing to do to advocate for invisible illness. |
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Absolutely! It feels like sometimes people use "differently abled" when referring to those who appear able, but "disabled" is exclusively used for folks with wheelchairs, canes, etc. I think it's better that we rally under one umbrella term |
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Yes, this! Physical disabilities are disabilities. Chronic illnesses are disabilities. Disabilities after an accident are disabilities. Disabilities from birth are disabilities. Mental and emotional disabilities are disabilities. Developmental and intellectual disabilities are disabilities. Invisible disabilities are disabilities. Disabilities that flare and go into remission are disabilities. Mild disabilities are disabilities. Disabilities you can "fix" or ameliorate with adaptive equipment are disabilities. People who have disabilities who can hide them and/or cope really well with their disabilities have disabilities. They're all disabilities. Taken together, people with disabilities are the largest minority group! |
Here’s what I gathered after poring over all these entries.
People sometimes ask me if I prefer to be called Black or African American, and I have never resented the question. In fact, I viewed the ability to frame such a question as a sign of cultural sophistication.
If you want to really up your game, consider going a step further and register for the Harvard Implicit Bias tests and take the one on the disabled.[3]
When I was a child, the commonly used term was “crippled” to refer to those with mobility challenges. Handicapped came next, and “disabled” began to replace handicapped, while handicapped parking spaces became accessible spaces. “Mentally retarded” was replaced by “intellectual disability.”
The challenge of how to honor differences without negative slurs is a continuing process. It’s up to the people involved to decide when a term has lost its meaning and for the rest of us to respect it.
For a take on one set of terms to use (and not), refer to this chart:[4] Note that those who developed this chart fall in the “person with disabilities” camp vs “disabled persons,” while most of the Redditors preferred the latter.
What do you think? Would love to hear your opinion.
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1 https://www.reddit.com/r/disability/comments/14aaiqm/do_you_prefer_disabled_person_or_person_with/
2 https://www.reddit.com/r/disability/comments/n5iscz/what_is_your_preferred_term_disabled_differently/
3 https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/
4 https://www.perplexity.ai/search/kindred-bookstore-in-WPXltF.RSny23Zr46ISpgg?s=u
Dr. Latting has 20+ years of consulting and teaching experience for private and public sector organizations and is an experienced speaker and workshop host. She is available to virtually speak to groups including executives, managers, individual contributors and community leaders to widen their multi-cultural awareness.
